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Class Date: July 16th
Location: Your couch! See your weekly e-mail for Zoom link!
The Civil War
The Civil War
This week we are talking about Robert Smalls and his life. Before we talk about his life and heroism, let’s look at a brief overview of the events of the time, especially the events leading up to the Civil War:
January 1, 1808 - Abolishment of slave importation
In an effort to curb slavery, Congress abolishes the international importation of enslaved people. In 1807, Great Britain had abolished the slave trade altogether. As Northern states in the U.S. began to end slavery, instead of ending in the South, the practice only solidified as cotton production exploded. Though enslaved people cannot be imported from overseas, a bustling trade continues within the United States as Northern states sell their enslaved people to Southern plantation owners.
1850 - Fugitive Slave Act passed
Prior to the Act, enslaved people who crossed into Northern ‘free’ states were considered free. Angry that their free laborers were escaping to freedom, Southern proponents of slavery pushed for legal help in tracking down and re-kidnapping people. The Act made aiding those attempting to escape enslavement a crime punishable by fines and imprisonment. It also made it easier for ‘slave catchers’ to kidnap free Black people to enslave them.
May 1, 1851 - World’s Fair begins
The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations opens in Hyde Park, London. It is the first ever World’s Fair. Prince Albert, with the support of Queen Victoria, executes the international event that will spur innovation and art for decades, including the Eiffel Tower, Hershey chocolate, and the Ferris Wheel.
The Fair closed after 141 days, having hosted 6,039,195 visitors to the 26-acre park. Exhibits from 59 nations and 39 colonies were featured, including 499 exhibits from the United States. McCormick’s reaper won a gold medal. Profits from the first exposition still provide scholarship funds and cultural endowments throughout England and more than 100 more World’s Fairs have been held since.
1852 - The Studebaker Brothers Wagon Company established
A family affair, the Studebakers began manufacturing wagons and horse-drawn carriages in the 1740s. While some of the Studebaker brothers became blacksmiths and foundry men in South Bend, Indiana, to begin the official Wagon Company, John M Studebaker was making wheelbarrows in Placerville, California.
The California gold rush provided a large enough profit that the brothers continued to expand, providing wagons for the U.S. Army and eventually moving on to automobiles.
1852 - Uncle Tom’s Cabin is published
Harriet Beecher Stowe published her literary masterpiece on slavery, further fanning the flames of abolitionist passions. Readers in the South denounced the book for its vivid depictions of slavery, but the novel continued to gain acclaim in the North and in Great Britain. It was adapted for the theater multiple times, beginning soon after the book was published, playing for sold-out audiences.
June 29, 1852 - Henry Clay dies
A giant among American political leaders, Henry Clay had put together many of the compromises that held the Union together, including the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850. Clay’s focus on compromise and economic expansion left a legacy of American politics that rippled for generations. His loss was felt by many as the nation continued to navigate the choppy waters surrounding slavery.
1853 - Gadsden Purchase completed
Also known as the Treaty of La Mesilla, the Purchase followed the cessation of most of the American Southwest from Mexico following the Mexican-American War. In exchange for $10 million, Mexico gave the U.S. an additional 30,000 square miles. Many advocates for a southern transcontinental railroad argued that a new railroad should pass through the newly acquired territory.
1855 - The United States Camel Corps is created
Jefferson Davis, the U.S. Secretary of War, convinced Congress to fund a Camel Corps for the U.S. Army to help deliver supplies to the American West. Congress appropriated $30,000 for camels to be brought over from the Middle East to begin the program. Native camel herders were also brought, to teach the American Army how to handle and train camels to be used as pack animals.
For a 6-minute overview of this program, click here:
1857 - Dred Scott decision
A landmark slavery case, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that an enslaved person did not become free once transported into a free state. Furthermore, the Court ruled that slavery could not be banned by Congress in the territories and that Black people were not eligible for citizenship. This dealt a devastating blow to the plight of Black people throughout the country, but further galvanized the anti-slavery movement.
1861 - April 12 - Battle of Fort Sumter, South Carolina
After creating the Confederate States of America, rebellious forces fire upon Fort Sumter, officially beginning the Civil War.
For a great 2.5 minute overview of this pivotal moment, check out this History Channel video here.
1862 - September 17 - Battle of Antietam, Maryland
The single bloodiest day of the Civil War, General Lee’s first invasion into the North comes to an end. After the Union victory, President Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing enslaved people located in the Confederate States. The Proclamation did not free enslaved persons in bordering Union States, so slavery was still not officially ended until after the war.
1863 - November 19 - Gettysburg Address
President Lincoln traveled to Gettysburg to consecrate a memorial to the bloody battle. There are actually multiple versions of the address, all written in Lincoln’s hand. To see a breakdown and explanation of the differing copies, go here:
http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm
The most often reproduced version is as follows:
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Abraham Lincoln, November 19, 1863
1865 - April 9 - Battle of Appomattox Court House and Surrender
After an early morning defeat, Lee seeks to meet with General Grant to discuss terms of surrender. In the afternoon, in Wilmer McLean’s parlor, Lee signs documents surrendering and ending the Civil War.
That is where our timeline leaves us for this week! Check below for additional reading resources and tune in this week to learn about the life of Smalls!
Recommended Reading
Recommended Reading
To read more about this period, here are some great books to get you started:
For Kids:
The Escape of Robert Smalls: A Daring Voyage Out of Slavery by Jehan Jones-Radgowski
The mist in Charleston Inner Harbor was heavy, but not heavy enough to disguise the stolen Confederate steamship, the Planter, from Confederate soldiers. In the early hours of May 13, 1862, in the midst of the deadly U.S. Civil War, an enslaved man named Robert Smalls was about to carry out a perilous plan of escape. Standing at the helm of the ship, Smalls impersonated the captain as he and his crew passed heavily armed Confederate forts to enter Union territory, where escaped slaves were given shelter. The suspenseful escape of the determined crew is celebrated with beautiful artwork and insightful prose, detailing the true account of an unsung American hero.
The Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls by Louise Meriwether
Robert Smalls, born a slave in 1839 in Beaufort, South Carolina, gained fame as an African American hero of the American Civil War. The Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls tells the inspirational story of Small's life as a slave, his boyhood dream of freedom, and his bold and daring plan as a young man to commandeer a Confederate gunboat from Charleston Harbor and escape with fifteen fellow slaves and family members. Smalls joined the Union Navy and rose to the rank of captain and became the first African American to command a U.S. service ship. After the war Smalls returned to Beaufort, bought the home of his former master, and began a long career in state and national politics.
This new edition of The Freedom Ship of Robert Smalls, originally published in 1971, features Louise Meriwether's original narrative, now illustrated by the colorful paintings of renowned Southern artist Jonathan Green.
For Adults:
Be Free or Die: The Amazing Story of Robert Smalls’ Escape From Slavery to Union Hero by Cate Lineberry
Be Free or Die is a compelling narrative that illuminates Robert Smalls’ amazing journey from slave to Union hero and ultimately United States Congressman. This captivating tale of a valuable figure in American history gives fascinating insight into the country's first efforts to help newly freed slaves while also illustrating the many struggles and achievements of African Americans during the Civil War.
Gullah Statesman: Robert Smalls From Slavery to Congress 1839 - 1915 by Edward A. Miller, Jr.
Gullah Statesman: Robert Smalls From Slavery to Congress 1839 - 1915 by Edward A. Miller, Jr.
A native of Beaufort, South Carolina, Robert Smalls was born into slavery but―through acts of remarkable courage and determination―became the first African American hero of the Civil War and one of the most influential African American politicians in South Carolina history. In this largely political biography of Smalls's inspirational story, Edward A. Miller, Jr., traces the triumphs and setbacks of the celebrated U.S. congressman and advocate of compulsory, desegregated public education to illustrate how the life and contributions of this singular individual were indicative of the rise and fall of political influence for all African Americans during this rough transitional period in American history.
Works Cited
Works Cited
http://www.abrahamlincolnonline.org/lincoln/speeches/gettysburg.htm
https://www.nps.gov/gett/learn/historyculture/civil-war-timeline.htm
https://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1850.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studebaker
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Uncle-Toms-Cabin
https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/clay-henry
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